Theatre
1 Touch
Dee is living in chaos in a bedsit in London. But she doesn’t mind the squalor because she is having the time of her life working out who she is and what she wants. Her method? Sex. Vicky Jones directed Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag and her own play has a similar sexual candour, offering an honest look into the mind of a woman in her early 30s. Amy Morgan is a real delight as a character who knows what she likes in bed but is less confident about what her future will look like.
Soho theatre, W1, to 26 August
2 Séance
The Edinburgh fringe begins this week, and there’s probably no better place to start your search for great shows than at Summerhall, the venue that in recent years has brought some of the best contemporary theatre to Edinburgh. Using binaural technology, Glen Neath and David Rosenberg’s little shocker, which takes place completely in the dark in a shipping container, may only last 20 minutes but it packs a punch, making you doubt both your senses and your mind.
Summerhall, Edinburgh, 2-26 August
3 Queen Anne
Helen Edmundson’s drama about the relationship between Queen Anne and the manipulative Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, was first seen at the RSC in 2015. It sails into the Haymarket offering meaty, old-fashioned historical drama and two fine central roles for women. Romola Garai has great fun as Sarah and Emma Cunniffe gives a multifaceted performance as Anne.
Theatre Royal, Haymarket, SW1, to 30 September
4 Titus Andronicus
Shakespeare’s gore-fest is not a play that’s regularly revived – perhaps because of the fainting it can prompt. But the RSC has a fine history of staging it, including Deborah Warner’s magnificent 1987 production with Brian Cox in the title role. David Troughton proves no less compelling in Blanche McIntyre’s modern-dress production, which nimbly walks the tightrope between nervous laughter and appalled fascination.
Royal Shakespeare theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, to 2 September
5 Jess and Joe Forever
Set in the fens, Zoe Cooper’s delightful two-hander follows its protagonists from the ages of nine to 15 and charts the shifting relationship between posh city girl Jess, who comes to Norfolk each summer, and farmer’s son Joe, who has a secret. It’s a modest, unassuming play, but one that captures first love and the pain of adolescence with deft charm and truthfulness.
Traverse theatre, Edinburgh, 3-27 August
Dance
1 Mariinsky Ballet
Week two of the Russian company’s summer season moves into the modern era with performances of Ratmansky’s Anna Karenina.
Royal Opera House, WC2, to 12 August
2 Romeo & Juliet
A revival for Rudolf Nureyev’s swaggering version of the Prokofiev-scored classic, showcasing English National Ballet’s strong roster of male dancers – including new principal Aaron Robison.
Royal Festival Hall, SE1, 1-5 August
3 201 Dance Company: Skin
Andrea Walker choreographs a fusion of street and contemporary dance in order to examine gender transition and explore how a body can start to feel like home.
Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2-28 August
